Socks and apparatus and method for producing the same



Aug. 11, 1964 c. T. SMITH v3,143,869

SOCKS AND APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME;

Filed June 1, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet l Aug. 11, 1964 c. T. SMITH 3,143,869

SOCKS AND APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Filed June 1, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CHARLIE T. SMITH 4 ATTORNEY Aug. 11, 1964 c. T. SMITH 3,143,869

SOCKS AND APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Filed June 1, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 1: sum: will FIG. 3

INVENTOR CHARLIE T. SMITH ATTORNEY C. T. SMITH Aug. 11, 1964 SOCKS AND APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Filed June 1, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 E; E: mum: an man: u an ammmnuumugnmu mumm numm m mm a INVENTOR CHARLIE T. SMITH Zr-ZZ' ATTORNEY United States vPatent O 3,143,869 SOCKS AND APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING THE SAME Charlie T. Smith, Nashville, Tenn., assignor to May Hosiery Mills, Nashville, Tenn. Filed June 1, 1962, Ser. No. 199,537 11 Claims. (Cl. 66-48) This invention relates to the production of fabric including in various shapes, patterns, and sizes, to the various types of apparatus, and to the processes or methods utilized in the production of such articles especially employing such equipment.

The invention relates particularly to the production of seamless articles including hosiery of a specific size and shape, and having certain portions disposed angularly relative to other portions to obtain the configuration desired, as well as to vary the dimensions of the articles.

Hertofore in the manufacture of articles including specifically socks which cover only the soles and a limited portion of the sides of the feet and in similar articles which also cover the tops, ditferent segments of the finished article have been individually produced and subsequently assembled and connected in obtaining the fin ished articles, there having been no prior provision for the production of a seamless article of a specific size and shape including certain portions disposed angularly relative to others.

It is an object of the invention to provide seamless knitted shaped articles having areas relatively angularly disposed, as well as apparatus and method by which such articles can be produced in a practical, commercially feasible manner.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sock of a length that its top always will be below the ankle of the wearer and concealed when a shoe is worn, to provide both apparatus and method by which such sock can .be produced.

I A further object of the invention is to provide a rela-' tively short sock or one having a low top and with a plurality of gores which can automatically be knitted on a circular knitting machine having independent needles without either cutting or sewing together individual portions to form a sock. Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a sock produced in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2, a schematic layout of the cam arrangement of the knitting machine illustrating the narrowing operation utilized in the production of the second portion of the sock of FIG. 1;

. FIG. 3, a schematic layout of the cam arrangement of the knitting machine illustrating the widening operation utilized in the production of the third and fourth portions of the sock;

FIG. 4, a schematic view similar to FIG. 3 of another step of the operation;

FIG. 5, a schematic view through a cylinder of the machine illustrating the arrangement of the cams; and

FIG. 6, a perspective of one of the cam brackets of FIG. 5.

The invention is a sock which when worn will be contained within a low or Oxford type shoe, as well as apparatus and method of producing such socks. The apparatus by which such socks are produced may be an independent needle circular knitting machine having at least one needle bank of separate groups of needles. The method employed comprises the steps ,of knitting the first portion of the sock with all of the groups of needles ICC.

and with the cylinder continuously rotating in the same manner as on a conventional circular knitting machine with elastic yarn laid in. At completeion of the first portion of a sock the machine is operated so that the cylinder oscillates approximately 1 /2 revolutions alternately forward and in reverse. One group of needles is raised to a non-knitting position and the conventional narrowing picks are put into action to progressively move the terminal needles of the active group to an inactive position reducing the number of needles active in the knitting process to knit the next portion of the sock.

After a predetermined number of courses, the narrowing picks are taken out of action and the main pattern drum moves widening picks into action until all of the needles of the first group are in action and approximately 7 of the needles of the second group have been lowered into knitting position to join the third portion of the sock to the second portion and to the first portion along a gore of a predetermined length.

Thereafter the widening picks are taken out of action and a jack cam is activated by the pattern drum to en gage the butts of the jacks under the long butt needles of the second group raising all of such needles to an inactive non-knitting position. The machine continues to oscillate and the widening picks again engage the terminal needles of the second group of needles to lower such needles tova knitting position until such time as approximately of such needles have been lowered to knit the fourth portion of the sock.

After the fourth portion is completed, the widening picks are taken out of action, the machine clutches or is operated to cause it to run forwardly and a pull-down cam lowers the remaining inactive needles into knitting position to knit the foot portion and toe portion of the sock in a conventional manner.

The term active is intended to denote a needle which is positioned in the path of a stitch cam to be projected and retracted and thereby participate in the knitting action. The term inactive or non-knitting is intended to denote a needle which does not engage the stitch cam and therefore does not participate in the knitting action, The yarn loops carried by the inactive needles are retained thereon and are not knit off.

In accordance with the present invention the needles are mounted for independent movement about the circumference of a cylinder and are arranged in two separate groups, each of which contains substantially the same number of needles. The needles of the first group are provided with short butts and the needles of the second group are provided with long butts so that the needles of the second group may be operated independently of having. a plurality of gores and produced on a circular knitting machine which automatically knits the low-cut top of the sock without the necessity of cutting and sewing and which upper portion contains elastic so that it will be flat without bulges or ridges and is of a size to remain below the ankle and over the instep and will not extend above or be visible when worn with low-cut or Oxford type shoes. The apparatus used is a circular knitting machine modified to operate in a manner to produce the desired end product.

With continued reference to the drawings, a sock 10 is provided having an upper portion 11, a first gore portion 12, a second gore portion 13, a third gore portion 14, a foot portion 15, and a toe portion 16.

In the production of the sock, the upper portion 11 is knit in the same manner as on a conventional circular Patented Aug. 11, 1964.

knitting machine having a plurality of independent needles mounted on a cylinder 20 (FIG. which normally rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow 21 and such cylinder is provided with a plurality of radial grooves for the reception of a group of short butt needles 22 and a substantially equal number of long butt needles 23. During the knitting of the upper portion 11 the cylinder rotates and makes several courses of plain knitting with body yarn and with an elastic yarn laid in during the knitting of such courses in a conventional manner well known to the art. After the elastic yarn has been laid in, the top is completed by the knitting of four to six courses of plain knit fabric.

When the top is completed, the main pattern drum (not-shown) activates a clutch so that the cylinder oscillates approximately 1 /2 revolutions alternately forward and reverse. During the first oscillation the switch cam 25 raises all of the long butt needles 23 to an inactive non-knitting position in such a manner that the loops carried by such needles are retained thereon and the butts are in alignment with a wing cam 37 for a purpose which will be described later. As the cylinder oscillates in one direction as from left to right in FIG. 2, a narrowing pick 26 (FIG. 2) engages the butt of the terminal active needle of the short butt needles 22 and raises such needle to an inactive position and the remainder of the short butt needles continue to function in a normal fashion and perform the knitting operation. When the cylinder reverses the terminal needle on the opposite end of the short butt needles is engaged and raised to an inactive position by a narrowing pick 27. This operation continues with alternate terminal needles being raised to an inactive position until the first gore portion 12 is knit along the suture line A to B (FIG. 1).

At the completion of the gore portion 12 the pattern drum (not shown) causes the narrowing picks 26 and 27 to be taken out of action and widening picks 28 and 29 to be put into action which lower the terminal needle of the upper bank of inactive needles to a knitting position on each oscillation of the cylinder until such time as all of the short butt needles 22 and approximately W of the long butt needles 23 have been put into action and the second gore portion 13 is knit along the suture line B to C.

Each of the long butt needles 23 is provided with a jack 30 having a butt 31 adapted to be engaged by a jack cam 32 located below the lowermost end of the short butt needles 22. At the completion of the second gore portion 13 the jack cam 32 is actuated by the pattern drum causing it to engage the butts 31 of the jacks under the long butt needles to raise all of the long butt needles to an inactive non-knitting position along the suture line C to D (FIG. 1) after which the jack cam 32 is taken out of action. The cylinder continues to oscillate and the widening picks 28 and 29 continue to engage the butt on the terminal needles to lower the terminal needle on each oscillation into active position. This operation continues until approximately A of the long butt needles have been lowered to knit the third suture line portion 14 along the gore D to E.

When the third gore portion 14 has been knit, the pattern drum deactivates the clutch to stop the oscillation of the cylinder and permit such cylinder to rotate in a forward or clockwise direction. The widening picks 28 and 29 are taken out of action and a pull-down cam 33 lowers the remaining long butt needles into active knitting position to knit the foot portion 15 and the toe portion 16 in a conventional manner.

Due to the fact that the cylinder is oscillating approximately 1 /2 revolutions on each oscillation and at certain times substantially more than half of the needles will be in active knitting position and some of such active needles will pass the yarn feed twice on each oscillation, it is necessary that means be provided to prevent such needles from knitting more than once. In order to do this, right and left-hand wing cam brackets 35 and 36 are provided each of which has a cam 37 forming an integral part of a cam plate 38 mounted for sliding action within a body 39. The cam plate 38 has a notch 40 adjacent the end opposite the cam 37 and such notch is adapted to receive a lever 41 having one end rotatably mounted by a pin 42 to the upper portion of the body 39. The lower free end of the lever 41 is engaged by a pin 43 carried by a sleeve 44 which in turn is adjustably fiXed adjacent one end of a rod 45. A wing 46 is attached to the opposite end of the rod 45 of the cam bracket 35 and a wing 47 is attached to the opposite end of the rod 45 of the cam bracket 36. The rod 45 is mounted in the body 39 in a manner to slide axially and to rotate.

In order to move the rod 45 and the wing toward the cylinder 20 a spring 48 is connected at one end to the pin 43 and the opposite end of such spring is fixed to a pin 49 carried by the body 39. The spring 48 serves the double function of urging the rod 45 to the left as viewed in FIG. 6, as well as urging the free end of the wing 47 downwardly. If desired, a stop 50 is adjustably mounted on the plate 38 to regulate the amount of forward movement of the cam 37 and the wing 47.

In the operation of the device, the upper portion of the sock or other hosiery is constructed in a conventional manner with the cylinder rotating in a clockwise direction. After the upper portion has been completed, the machine is clutched and caused to oscillate substantially 1 /2 revolutions in each direction. When the cylinder is moving in a counterclockwise direction on the first oscillation, the switch cam 25 is moved into operative position to move the long butt needles to inactive position while the short butt needles are performing the knitting process. It is important that the cam 25 be moved into position during this time so that such cam will be in position when the first long butt needle is moved into position to engage such cam since such long butt needles would prevent the full movement of such cam at any other time. The cam 25 moves the long butt needles upwardly to a position whereby they will engage the cam 37 of the cam bracket 36 and move the wing 47 away from the cylinder until all of the inactive needles have passed the cam 37. When the active short butt needles again approach the knitting point, the wing 47 will have been retracted out of the path of movement of the active needles and such active needles will prevent the wing 47 from again moving into position. After the inactive needles have passed cam 37 of the cam bracket 36, they will engage a raising cam 56 and be raised above the cam 37 of cam bracket 35.

When the movement of the cylinder is reversed after the first oscillation and the cylinder again moves in a clockwise direction, the inactive needles which were raised above the cam 37 will remain above such needles and will have no effect on the cam bracket 35 until the active needles have passed the yarn feed. The first active needle will engage narrowing pick 27 and be raised to inactive position in a conventional manner and the remaining active needles again will perform the knitting operation. While the active needles are knitting, the inactive needles will engage a needle leveling block 57 and be lowered to a position such that the butts will engage cam 37 of the cam bracket 35 and move the wing 46 out of needle engaging position. The cylinder will continue oscillating until a predetermined number of needles have been moved to inactive position and the first gore portion 12 has been knit.

After the first gore portion 12 is finished the narrowing picks are taken out of action and the widening picks are put into action to knit the second gore portion 13. FIG. 3 illustrates the first portion of the forward oscillation moving from left to right in a counterclockwise direction when knitting the second gore portion 13 and the third gore portion 14. During this part of the cycle the active needles will first engage the wing 47 and will move up and over said wing after which they will engage a stitch cam 53. The needles will in turn move up the stitch cam and when such needles reach the top of such stitch cam the hook at the top of each needle will engage the feed yarn (not shown) after which the needle'butts will en gage the upper center stitch cam 54 and a stitch cam 55 to lower the needles and knit off the loops which had previously been carried thereon. At the lower end of the stitch cam 55 the needle butts will pass under such stitch cam and under wing 46 which is raised out of the way against the tension of the spring 48.

When the active needles are performing the knitting operation the inactive needles are rotated simultaneously with the active needles and when the terminal needle of the inactive needles engages widening pick 29 such pick will lower'the terminal needle into active position. The remainder of the inactive needles will engage cam 37 'ofthe cam bracket 36 to force the wing 47 out of the position in which it engaged the active needle butts. After the inactive needle butts engage the cam 37 they will make contact with a raising cam 56 and be elevated above the cam 37 of the cam bracket 35 and will have no effect on such cam bracket during the forward oscillation or during the first part of the reverse oscillation.

When the cylinder continues in the same direction and the active needles again pass the wing 47, such wing will be out of action due to the inactive needle butts being still in engagement with the cam 37 and when such inactive needle butts have passed cam 37 the active needle butts will prevent the wing 47 from again moving into active position. The active needle butts will engage the lower surface of the stitch cam 53 and will pass under such stitch cam to prevent the casting off of the stitches.

Upon the completion of the forward oscillation the cylinder is oscillated in the opposite direction. The inactive needles which have been raised by the cam 56 will pass over the cam 37 of the bracket 35 during the first part of the oscillation and-the active needle butts will engagewing 47 and will move up stitch cam 55 and down the upper center stitch cam 54 and stitch cam 53 to knit in the opposite direction. The first inoperative needle butt after the operative needle butts will engage widening pick 28 and will be lowered into active position. In this manner one additional needle is moved into active position with each'oscillation of the cylinder.

It will be apparent that a sock or other article of hosiery is provided having a plurality of seamless gores or angular areas connected by seamless suture line and consequently no ridges or raised areas are disposed between the foot and the shoe of the wearer to cause discomfort. The sock is shaped to conform to the configuration of the foot by the above described knitting process and apparatus and is adapted to remain below the hosiery by moving certain active needles to inactive position, putting a terminal inactive needle into action on each oscillation of the cylinder until a predetermined number of needles are in action and the fourth portion is joined to the first and third portions, knitting a fifth portion by taking the widening picks out of action, putting the remaining inactive needles into action and rotating the cylinder to join said fifth portion to the first and fourth portions and complete the hosiery.

2. Apparatus for knitting seamless hosiery having a plurality of gores including a circular knitting machine having a cylinder which can be rotated or oscillated selectively and multiple independent needles, a series of cams for causing said needles to engage a feed yarn and form loops, cam means for moving certain of said needles to inactive position, a pair of selectively operable narrowing picks for moving terminal active needles to inactive position, a pair of selectively operable widening picks for moving terminal inactive needles to activeposition, a pair of wing cam brackets mounted on said machine in cooperative relation with said needles for permitting said needles to form only one stitch on each oscillation of saidcylinder when said cylinder is oscillated, each wing cam bracket comprising a body, a cam plate slidably mounted in said body, a lever pivotally mounted on said body and engageable with said cam plate, a rod slidably and rotatably mounted in said body, a wing mounted on one end of said rod and a pin adjustably mounted on the opposite end, spring means connected at one end to said body and at theother end to said pin for urging said pin a portion, knitting a third portion by selectively increasing the ankle of the wearer and substantially hidden from view by the shoes while affording protection to the feet. The sock produced according to this method is adapted to have the foot opening in the upper portion thereof and is adapted to distribute the stresses of wear more evenly and to prevent the sock from bunching up and forming ridges which are uncomfortable to the wearer.

It will be obvious to one skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which is illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the accompanying claims.

What is claimed is:

l. The method of knitting hosiery having a plurality of gores on a circular knitting machine having a cylinder and multiple independent needles comprising the steps of knitting a first portion of the hosiery with the cylinder of the machine rotating and utilizing all of the needles, knitting a second portion by taking certain needles out of action and oscillating the cylinder, putting narrowing picks into action and taking a terminal active needle out of action the number of active needles to join said third portion to said second portion and said first portion by seamless suture lines, knitting a fourth portion by moving certain active needles to inactivejposition and selectively moving certain inactive needles to active'position to connect said fourth portion to said third portion and said first portion by seamless suture lines, knitting a fifth portion by rotating said cylinder and utilizing all of the needles to join said fifth portion to said fourth portion and said first portion..

4. The method of automatically producing seamless sun socks on a circular knitting machine having two groups of independent needles mounted on a cylinder which can be rotated or oscillated selectively comprising the steps of knitting a relatively short first portion with the cylinder rotating and utilizing all of the needles, moving one group of said needles to inactive position and oscillating said cylinder more than one revolution, moving a terminal active needle of the other group to inactive position on each oscillation of said cylinder and knitting a second portion, providing means for knitting only once on each oscillation, moving terminal inactive needles to active position until all of the needles of said other group and substantially half of the needles of said one group are in active position to knit a third portion connected to said first portion and said second portion along a seamless suture line, moving said one group of needles to inactive position while the cylinder oscillates, moving terminal inactive needles of said one group to active position until most of the needles of said one group are in active position to knit a fourth portion connected to said first portion and said third portion along a seamless suture line, moving all of said needles to active position and rotating said cylinder to knit a fifth portion connected to said first portion and said fourth portion by a seamless connection.

, 5. The method of automatically producing seamless sun socks on a circular knitting machine having at least two groups of independent needles mounted on a cylinder' which can be rotated or oscillated selectively comprising the steps of knitting a relatively short first portion With the cylinder rotating and utilizing all of the needles, moving a first group of needles to inactive position and oscillating said cylinder more than one revolution, moving terminal active needles of said second group to inactive position and knitting a second portion, providing means for knitting only once on each oscillation, moving terminal inactive needles to active position until all of the needles of said second group and most of the needles of said first group are in active position to knit a third portion connected to said first portion and said second portion along a seamless suture line, moving all of said needles to active position and rotating said cylinder to knit a fourth portion connected to said first portion and said third portion by seamless connections.

6. The method of claim including oscillating said cylinder substantially one and one-half revolutions, providing means for moving one terminal needle only to active or inactive position on each oscillation of said cylinder.

7. Apparatus for knitting seamless hosiery on a circular knitting machine having independent needles mounted on a cylinder which can be oscillated substantially one and one-half revolutions and narrowing and widening picks for moving terminal needles to active or inactive position comprising a body, cam means slidably carried by said body, a lever pivotally mounted on said body and engageable with said cam means, rod means slidably and rotatably mounted in said body, a wing cam on one end of said rod means, means on the opposite end of said rod means for engaging said lever, and spring means connecting the opposite end of said rod means to said body, whereby said cam means and said wing cam are simultaneously urged outwardly of said body.

8. The structure of claim 7 including stop means to limit the outward movement of said cam means and said wing cam.

9. A wing cam bracket for a circular knitting machine having a needle cylinder which can be oscillated more than a full revolution comprising a body, cam means. slidably carried by said body, rod means slidably and rotatably mounted in said body in spaced relation to said cam means, lever means connecting said cam means and said rod means for simultaneous movement in the same direction, a wing cam on one end of said rod means, and

means for urging said rod means and said can! means outwardly of said body.

10. The method of automatically producing seamless socks on a circular knitting machine having independent needles slidably mounted on a cylinder which can be rotated or oscillated selectively including the steps of knitting certain portions of said socks with the cylinder oscillating more than one full revolution and performing the knitting operation with more than half of the needles in active knitting position, and providing means for knitting only once with each active needle on each oscillation, whereby active needles which pass the yarn feed of the machine more than once on each oscillation will perform the knitting operation only once.

11. The method of producing a seamless sun sock on a circular knitting machine having a cylinder, a plurality of independent knitting needles, and means operated by inactive needles for selectively controlling the active needles comprising the steps of rotating the cylinder to knit an upper portion of the sock utilizing all of the needles, oscillating the cylinder of the machine more than 360 degrees, moving certain of said needles to inactive position and leaving the remaining needles in active knitting position, decreasing the number of active needles to knit a first gore portion connected to said upper portion, increasing the number of needles in active position while the cylinder continues to oscillate more than 360 degrees and the means is operated to selectively control the active needles until most of the needles are in active knitting position to knit a second gore portion connected to said first gore portion and said upper portion by a seamless suture line, and thereafter moving all the remaining inactive needles to active position and rotating the cylinder of the machine to knit the foot portion of the sock.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 291,173 Esty Ian. 1, 1884 818,295 Rowe Apr. 17, 1906 1,531,524 Swanstrom Mar. 31, 1925 1,718,648 Isrealson June 25, 1929 1,848,969 Paquette Mar. 8, 1932 2,073,554 Elwell Mar. 9, 1937 2,388,649 Sheppard Nov. 6, 1945 2,444,403 Marsland June 29, 1948 2,608,847 Torgersen Sept. 2, 1952 2,739,467 Stern Mar. 27, 1956 2,957,325 Crawford Oct. 25, 1960 2,987,900 Mahler June 13, 1961 3,013,416 Fregeolle Dec. 19, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,263,321 France May 2, 1961 OTHER REFERENCES Shinn: Principles of Knitting, volume I, 3rd edition, Clark Publishing C0,, Charlotte, NC, 1957. 

2. APPARATUS FOR KNITTING SEAMLESS HOSIERY HAVING A PLURALITY OF GORES INCLUDING A CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE HAVING A CYLINDER WHICH CAN BE ROTATED OR OSCILLATED SELECTIVELY AND MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT NEEDLES, A SERIES OF CAMS FOR CAUSING SAID NEEDLES TO ENGAGE A FEED YARN AND FORM LOOPS, CAM MEANS FOR MOVING CERTAIN OF SAID NEEDLES TO INACTIVE POSITION, A PAIR OF SELECTIVELY OPERABLE NARROWING PICKS FOR MOVING TERMINAL ACTIVE NEEDLES TO INACTIVE POSITION, A PAIR OF SELECTIVELY OPERABLE WIDENING PICKS FOR MOVING TERMINAL INACTIVE NEEDLES TO ACTIVE POSITION, A PAIR OF WING CAM BRACKETS MOUNTED ON SAID MACHINE IN COOPERATIVE RELATION WITH SAID NEEDLES FOR PERMITTING SAID NEEDLES TO FORM ONLY ONE STITCH ON EACH OSCILLATION OF SAID CYLINDER WHEN SAID CYLINDER IS OSCILLATED, EACH WING CAM BRACKET COMPRISING A BODY, A CAM PLATE SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BODY, A LEVER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON SAID BODY AND ENGAGEABLE WITH SAID CAM PLATE, A ROD SLIDABLY AND ROTATABLY MOUNTED IN SAID BODY, A WING MOUNTED ON ONE END OF SAID ROD AND A PIN ADJUSTABLY MOUNTED ON THE OPPOSITE END, SPRING MEANS CONNECTED AT ONE END TO SAID BODY AND AT THE OTHER END TO SAID PIN FOR URGING SAID PIN INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID LEVER WHEREBY SAID CAM PLATE AND SAID WING ARE URGED OUTWARDLY OF SAID BODY IN ONE DIRECTION. 